Association between circulating follistatin‐like‐1 and metabolic syndrome in middle‐aged and old population: A cross‐sectional study

Abstract

Aim Follistatin‐like‐1 (FSTL‐1) is considered to be a novel cytokine, and it is associated with metabolic diseases. However, it is necessary to investigate further the association of FSTL‐1 with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and insulin resistance (IR). We performed a cross‐sectional study to investigate the associated of circulating FSTL‐1 with the MetS. Materials and methods A cross‐sectional study was performed in 487 Chinese people, including 231 control subjects and 256 patients with MetS. Bioinformatics analysis was used to determine the protein and pathways associated with FSTL‐1. The protein and protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed and analysed. Serum FSTL‐1 concentrations were determined by an ELISA assay. The association of FSTL‐1 with MetS components and IR was assessed. Results Serum FSTL‐1 levels were markedly higher in patients with newly diagnosed MetS than in controls (7.5 [5.6‐9.2] vs 5.8 [5.0‐7.7] μg/L, P < .01). According to bioinformatics analysis, the top high‐degree genes were identified as the core genes, including SPARCL1, CYR61, LTBP1, IL‐6, BMP2, BMP4, FBN1, FN1 CHRDL1 and FSTL‐3. These genes are mainly enriched in pathways including TGF‐ß, AGE‐RAGE signalling pathway in diabetic complications, and Hippo signalling pathways; in basal cell carcinoma, cytokine‐cytokine receptor interaction and in amoebic and Yersinia infections. Furthermore, serum FSTL‐1 levels were positively associated with fasting plasma glucose (FPG), waist circumference (WC), blood pressure, triglyceride levels and visceral adiposity index (VAI). We found that serum FSTL‐1 levels were markedly associated with MetS and IR by binary logistic regression analysis. Conclusions We conclude that FSTL‐1 may be a novel cytokine related to MetS and IR.

Bioinformatics analysis of candidate genes and potential therapeutic drugs targeting adipose tissue in obesity

“…Berger et al demonstrated that FN1 is one of the adipocyte-specific dysregulated genes in obese adipose tissues [ 38 ]. Similar findings were implied by Yang et al when they found that FN1 is strongly associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and insulin resistance (IR) [ 39 ].…”

Circulating CTRP7 Is a Potential Predictor for Metabolic Syndrome

“…To investigate the relationship between CTRP7 and IR, study populations were divided into IR and non-IR according to HOMA-IR > 3 or ≤ 3 ( 24 ). The results showed that IR population had higher serum CTRP7 levels [195.4 (163.3-244.7) vs. 130.6 (103.1-173.6) μg/L; p < 0.01, Figure 1C ] and lower APN levels [5.19 (2.90-8.76) vs. 8.07 (4.67-1.39) mg/L, p < 0.01) compared with non-IR population ( Figure 1C ).…”

“…An interaction score of 0.4 was considered a cut-off criterion, and the PPI was visualized. The cluster Profiler package was used for Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses ( 24 ). REACTOME enrichment analysis was completed by a STRING database ( 25 ).…”

Follistatin-Like Proteins: Structure, Functions and Biomedical Importance

“…Martin Horak et al showed in their study that overweight and moderate obesity are associated with increased levels of FSTL1 primarily due to its pro-inflammatory action during chronic mildly inflammatory condition [102]. On the other hand, pathological and severe obesity decreased FSTL1 levels due to a continuous increase in the number of matured adipocytes and other associated factors [102][103][104]. In addition, the secretion of FSTL1 may be regulated by hyperinsulinemia and free fatty acids [105][106][107].…”